Huldra
by Lily-Kasumi
Summary: An woman known as the Huldra is murdering male prostitutes in Portland. And the only way to find her is through the only man who has lived through an encounter with her "J". But, why is Rachel at one of the crime scenes? Contains freindship  ?  ReidxOC
1. Round Two Kind Of

**Huldra**

**AN: Hello, this is the first chapter fic of my Hand of the Fates series. I deeply enjoy mythology so a lot of my UnSubs and the cases themselves will revolve around mythology and the supernatural. *nerd sign lights up above head* Ah-hem… anyway, thank you for taking interest in the story enough to read this far! I hope you enjoy it! This is way WAY early, but I just couldn't wait! :) Inspiration hit and I had to write.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, these characters belong to CBS, and I am merely showing my appreciation for their stories.**

**Warnings: Swearing as well as graphic descriptions of sexuality and gore will be found in this story. There will also be slight OOC from the characters. You have been warned.**

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><p>Picasso once said, "It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction."<p>

The motel room was cold. The window on the far side of the room would not shut no matter what he did, so he just left it there and rubbed his arms trying to keep the goose-bumps from showing on his pale skin. The young man was dressed in a loose leather jacket that did not quite hide his bony shoulders; underneath the black leather was a bright red wife-beater. The shade of red was the same as the color of blood, eye-catching, what he wanted. He wanted to lure them in with that color; red was always the color of romance, of lust. Lust was his specialty...

_James Barks was a prostitute, and most of the Johns and Janes he dealt with called him "J". He didn't mind, and most of the time, he felt that he didn't have to worry. He dealt strictly with high end clients; it was safer then walking the streets. Though, this current 'meeting' had been planned while he was walking the street, he was going to head towards one of the high class sections of the city. Maybe that place on 23rd where you could see the mansions? But, as he was walking along, a limo pulled up alongside of him. He could see his reflection in the shimmery black surface and the farthest back window rolled down. There was a woman sitting in the back and even though she was wearing a scarf that covered her hair and some of her face he could tell that she was gorgeous. 'Time to work your magic J!' He had thought excitedly to himself._

_"Can I help you with anything milady?" He positively purred. The term of respect brought a soft giggle from the woman's lips, he had been right to go for something respectful; she seemed like that kind of woman._

_"Well... I'm horribly lonely... think you could keep my company? It's my first time here in Portland." A shiver ran down his spine, what was it about this woman? Just the sound of her voice and he was already getting a hard on. Maybe he was just desperate for a fuck and some cash? It was a big, big plus that this woman was pretty to boot._

_"Welcome to the west coast." J said smiling as the woman opened the door to the limo as it coasted to a stop against the sidewalk. He climbed in and they drove off into the night..._

A soft noise, the sound of a door sliding over the scratchy carpet beneath his feet made him turn. And the sight before him made his jaw drop open. The woman who he had picked up that night was standing in the doorway to the bathroom.

Behind her, in the bathroom the light was on, causing its glow to surround her like a halo. Light bounced off of her long golden hair, making it shimmer and shine. Her cream colored skin was flawless, to the eye. And her eyes were bright, bright blue. The kind of blue that kids loved to gobble off of their ice cream cake. She smiled, revealing a neat row of white teeth, "I'm sorry that we couldn't go to a grander place... but I just couldn't wait to have you to get back to the hotel I'm booked at. I hope you don't mind?"

She finished off her words with a small pout and a quick bat of those long dark eyelashes. J walked over to her, "I don't mind..."

There was a sudden flash in her eyes and the pretty smile became something almost feral, "Perfect."

She practically threw him onto the bed and fell on top of him...

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><p>The morning sun was shining coldly down on the little street. People walked along the sidewalk, rushing to and fro, not noticing the little cafe tucked between two flashier stores. A man was sitting at a table by the window, sunlight falling through the pane and illuminating his chocolate colored hair. Spencer Reid looked over at the counter, where a woman was watching the barista pour vanilla flavored syrup into her cup of coffee.<p>

"Can you put in the whole bottle Lisa?" Rachel asked, staring at the cup with a faint trace of distaste on her face. The barista laughed a little and handed her the cup, "Anymore and it will be more syrup than coffee."

"That's my point." Rachel protested as the cup was pushed into her hand.

"Oh go join the handsome doctor." Lisa scolded before turning to the next customer. Sighing, the young woman went to join the FBI agent at the table.

"I don't see why I had to wait to get this over with until the next time we got together." She grumbled, looking down at the cup in her hand.

"Well, _if_ I had waited, you probably would have been tempted to cheat and merely tell me you had drunk a cup of coffee." Reid replied, staring down at his cup with a similar expression to that of his dialogue partner. Rachel had told him that black tea, mixed with milk and sugar was as close to coffee as he was going to get, so he'd taken the offer. The trade-off was that Linddell was allowed to mix a flavor into her coffee.

"You wound me…" Rachel scoffed before lifting the cup to her lips and taking a sip under the profiler's watchful gaze. Ugh… the syrup took the edge off of the drink, but it still had the biter after-taste that could only be made by coffee. Lowering the cup she sighed, "Just as bad as I remembered it."

Spencer took a sip and found that the drink was just sweet enough that he could ignore the after taste it left in his mouth. Still, it couldn't hold a candle, or even a match to his drink of choice, "… Well, I guess this is bearable."

"You two are like a couple of children!" Lisa scolded, rolling her eyes as she handed Ruby, one of the owners of the neighboring boutique, change.

"Sorry Lisa!" Rachel called, waving off the comment with twist of her left hand before turning back to Reid, "So, solve any cases this week Mr. Profiler?"

Reid turned the cup in his hands, "We didn't have any new cases this week… it was mostly paper work."

"Ouch."

"How are things at your work place?" Reid asked, taking another sip.

"Still unemployed." She replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I thought you were going for that job at Heritage?" Spencer prompted, remembering the phone conversation they had held a few days ago, when they had finally decided on a day to settle their coffee vs. tea debate.

"The guy in charge was… a complete arse." Rachel said, frowning down at her cup. The federal agent didn't miss the way her fingers tightened on her coffee for a moment or the way the emotion in her eyes flashed. But, before he could ask her, a sudden ringing from his pocket made the both of them twitch.

"Hello?" He asked, opening the device and lifting it to his ear.

"Reid?" Called a deeply familiar female voice.

"Hey JJ." He said, nodding once as Rachel mouthed 'work?' from a crossed the table.

"We have a new case. How soon can you get over here? Hotch, Rossi and I are already here, we are waiting on Morgan and Prentiss."

"I'm not far I can be there in… ten minutes, thirteen depending on traffic." Reid said, pulling on his coat and grabbing his messenger bag.

"Great. See you in a bit." JJ said, "Bye."

"Bye." Reid replied, hanging up. "I have to go, new case." He said quickly. Rachel just smiled and lifted her hand, waving good-bye. As she did, the sleeve of her right arm slipped down just a little, revealing a tattoo on the inside of her wrist.

It was small, wide enough to just fit inside of her wrist and about an inch and a half in length. It looked like a cat or some sort of small animal wrapped in a Celtic chain. The cat's eyes were filled in with solid black, though the rest of the tattoo remained simple line work. But, just as quickly as he registered the mark Rachel had lowered her arm again, "See you around?"

"Yeah…" Reid said, blinking once to dispel the image form his mind before walking out the door, "Bye."

On the bus ride to the BAU he sketch the image of the tattoo, there was something familiar about it. Why couldn't he remember? He had an eidetic memory; it really bothered him when he couldn't remember something properly. Perhaps he had heard someone talk about the tattoo before? He would have to ask Garcia when he had the chance…

The team was waiting for him as he walked quickly into the board room and sat down in a chair. "You're late pretty boy!" Derek teased before tossing him a folder.

"Let's get started." Hotch said, nodding at JJ to start bringing up the pictures. JJ returned the nod before turning on the screen with the click of a remote: "Portland Oregon has been facing a sudden up-rising in male prostitutes being murdered in the last month. A dozen are noted here in the case files and one more was just found this morning..."

Images of bodies appeared on the screen, all men of different colors and sizes. The only thing they had similar were that they were all young, the oldest appearing to be in his early thirties to late twenties. They were also all shirtless and...

"There must be significance for the mutilations on their bodies." Reid mused, looking at the screen, "What is the meaning of the word failure?"

"The UnSub could be targeting prostitutes because they view them as failures? Someone who wants to 'clean up the streets'?" Emily suggested.

"I'm not sure if that is the reason she is killing." Reid replied, looking down at the papers in front of him, "This attack, other than the mutilation is not aggressive. They all had their throats slit; neat, organized... they were also all wearing condoms."

"And they are moving quickly," Rossi said, "Over a dozen victims in a month. What took them so long to contact us?"

"The new head of the Portland police is very headstrong I hear." JJ said, finished with the images she clicked off the screen, "But he can't ignore this. The jet will be ready to leave in an hour."

"Let's get ready then." Derek said. The group got up and trooped into the hallway. Reid lagged behind a bit and made a turn and walked into Garcia's office.

"What's up Boy Wonder?" Penelope smiled, swiveling around in her chair to look up at him.

"Hey Garcia, umm... I know you probably have a lot of stuff to do... but if you have time..." Reid paused before showing her his sketch, "Think you could look up what this means... if it means anything."

"Sure thing." Penelope said, taking the paper, "Umm... though I am going to ask, why?"

"I was just curious... and I can't remember what it means, though I think I've heard about it somewhere before... it's a tattoo."

"No problem, buttercup! I'll call you if I dig up anything. You guys heading out soon?"

"Yeah, I better get going." Reid said, turning to go, only to yelp and scuttle away, spinning sharply as Garcia smacked his ass, "Wh-what?"

"Good luck out there boy genius... oh, and are you ever going to ask me to look up the lady you're meeting secretly?" Penelope smirked.

"Meeting?" Reid sputtered, eyebrows furrowing, "What are you talking about?"

"When are you going to realize that I know everything?" She smiled, turning back to her computers, "What's her name?"

"... Rachel." Spencer said, straightening his coat, "And we aren't' together."

"Sure." Garcia said, waving him out of her office, "Go get em', tiger!" Reid scoffed before heading out and catching up with the others.

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><p>Just as he sat down in the jet his phone rang again, this time the name Rachel flashed a crossed the screen. Reid stood and walked off to the back of the plane before answering, "Rachel?"<p>

"Hey, just calling to ask if the case is taking you away."

"It is... why?" The profiler said, brushing his hair back with the and not holding the phone. "Well, I never did see you finish that tea. And... Since I can't really take your word for it..."

"Guess we'll have to try again when I get back." Reid finished, smiling a little.

"Great! That means I can throw this disgusting thing out!" In the background he could hear the sound of something falling into a canister. "See you when you get back Doctor."

Reid chuckled before saying good-bye and hanging up. "On the phone with your girlfriend?" Morgan called from his seat a little further back in the plane.

"It's about time!" Emily piped up, looking up from her case file. Rossi just rolled his eyes and Reid sputtered for a moment before saying, "Look, she's just a friend."

"A friend who can make you put down your precious coffee." Morgan said, pointing to the tag of the tea brand visible over the lip of his cup. Reid chucked the drink in the garbage can before pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee, "Its a little debate we have going on."

"Sure..." The other man said, but let the subject drop as they settled in for the cross country flight.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you so much for reading this first chapter! I hope everyone liked it. Please write a review, favorite or alert; this will be a chapter story! Well... obviously! Constructive criticism is allowed as well, but out-right flames will be ignored.<strong>

**Next Time: The team has to struggle with tracking down male prostitutes to interview under a moving in rain storm. Later, Reid runs into an unexpected face... and the UnSub finds a new victim.**


	2. Clouds Gather

**Huldra**

**AN: Time to start the second chapter! Sorry this is a day late, I had some writing troubles... ugh, it is rather short.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, these characters belong to CBS, and I am merely showing my appreciation for their stories.**

**Synopsis: A woman is killing male prostitutes in Portland, Oregon. The key to finding her is by finding the one man who survived an encounter with her, the mysterious "J".**

**Warnings: Swearing as well as graphic descriptions of sexuality and gore will be found in this story. There will also be slight OOC from the characters. You have been warned.**

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><p>The plane touched down at PDX hours later and the team climbed out of their jet, stretching and yawning slightly before composing themselves to meet with the local authorities. The police station was of larger than average size with quite a few people; officers and recently collared offenders walking around. A short distance away, beyond the entrance, were three men. The one closed to them was the man assumed to be head of the department. He was average in height, slightly stockier in build with short cut pale blonde hair that did nothing to hide the growing bald spot on the back of his head. Edward also had a closely trimmed beard that was a shade or two darker than that of his hair. His dark green eyes worked over the team quickly as he walked towards them, hand extended, "Welcome agents. My name is Edward Stewart..." He gestured to the two officers behind him, "This is Timothy Gray and George Write, they are my right and left hand men and will do anything they can to help you out with this investigation."<p>

Timothy was small and wiry in build with a shock of jet black hair and dark brown eyes, but olive toned skin. George was red headed and pale skinned with lighter brown eyes. Both officers nodded at the team, but didn't say anything.

Hotch shook his hand, "Thank you for having us. This is my team: Agents Morgan, Prentiss, Jerau, and Rossi. This is Doctor Reid. Now do you have a room we could use?"

"Already have one set up back at the office." Stewart lead the way to a large room in the back; there were pictures of the victims tacked to the wall, along with hand written notes of tips and information about the victims. In the back there was a large map with all of the spots victims were found dotted neatly. Hotch had to admit, despite the hostility rolling off the head detective at their presence, the evidence had been mapped out well and the information organized.

"Do the media know about this yet?" JJ asked, looking at the police officers. They nodded, "Yeah, found out after the seventh victim."

Edward's shoulders hunched a little at this, the profilers taking in this change in behavior. He was being ridiculed by the media about his lack of being able to catch this killer… no one said it aloud, but they all knew he should have called them sooner.

"All of the victims were found in upper class areas… so high class male street-walking prostitutes are being targeted. That is rather specific." Reid mused, looking at the map.

"Have your men canvased the area?" Hotch asked. Edward nodded, "Yeah… but they weren't really willing to talk to us…"

"We can give it a try." Prentiss said.

"Good, Reid, Prentiss and Morgan, go talk to anyone around the area of the two most recent victims." Hotch ordered, starting to look over a couple of the notes pinned under the first victim's picture.

...

Even though the rain was beginning to pour from overhead, a few areas of the city still had men and women loitering the corners and sides of buildings. The small group of FBI agents walked along the sidewalk, attempting to speak to the prostitutes in groups of twos and threes. Most weren't willing to cooperate, and it wasn't until their sixth group that something happened.

A skinny, blonde male prostitute stepped away from the dark haired one he was standing by and walked right up to Emily. "Hello…" He positively purred, "Are you looking for a date?"

"Sorry. But, I would like to ask you some questions." She opened her FBI badge and showed it to him. The young man frowned, "I was just kidding you know…" He said, stepping backwards, holding his hands off as though to ward off suspicion.

"It's all right. We aren't here to arrest you. We just want to ask you some questions… we are trying to stop the woman who has been killing you guys." Prentiss said, tucking her credentials away. The young man scuffed his feet, biting his lip, "We already told the police everything." He mumbled.

"We aren't the police." Morgan said, "We aren't there to arrest you, so if there is anything you can tell us we need to know."

"Have any clients behaved strangely in the past month? Maybe you heard a friend say something?" Reid asked. The blond man waved over his dark haired friend, who looked between the three suspiciously.

"We… we don't know her… but we know someone who does." The blonde said. Morgan nodded, "Who is he?"

"Are you ratting out "J"?" The dark haired man muttered, clearly trying to keep his voice from being over heard by the FBI agents while glaring at his smaller companion. The blond shook his head, keeping his voice audible, "No! I just… maybe they can help, I haven't seen J in a week and I'm worried. Maybe she did something to him?"

The dark haired man just shook his head, looking uneasy, "I am not a snitch..."

Morgan cut a crossed him, "Do you know where this J is staying?" The blond shook his head, "No... I haven't seen him since he moved... but I can give you his real name: James Barks... tell him that Rabbit was asking about him."

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><p>Meanwhile, back in the BAU one Goddess of all that is Known and Un-Known was typing away on her computer. Images of various tattoos and crests flashed a crossed the screen. They were all similar: a cat-like creature with a Celtic chain wrapped around it. Suddenly, a name flashed a crossed her computer: Blackrock. The image matched the sketch Reid had given her perfectly. Right down to the fact that the cat's eyes were shaded in black. Okay, time to move on… what was Blackrock? A few clicks later a webpage opened, all of its text was in code save for the name: Blackrock. Why was it in code? Was Blackrock some sort of cult or club? Why would Reid have any interest in it? Suddenly, her phone rang, causing Penelope to file away the webpage for deciphering later.<p>

"Speak and be heard, oh, simple mortal." She smiled into her microphone.

"Hey Garcia, its Reid."

"Hey Boy-Genius. I have something interesting on that drawing you showed me. Though, I don't really have anything solid yet but-"

"Actually I called you because I have a name we need you to search for me. Can you dig up the most recent address of a James Barks please? He goes by the alias of "J" if that helps at all." Reid said, glancing once over his shoulder, Morgan was still talking with the blonde prostitute; the taller darker haired one had walked off and was leaning against the wall a short ways away.

"Okay let's see..." He could hear the slightly audible clicking of fingers moving furiously over a keyboard, "Ah, here we go... James Barks, born in Eugene, Oregon... ran away from home at the age of sixteen... been arrested for solicitation three times... Oh! It seems that the only other house that "J" has lived in since his parent's home was one that he just put his name on... Reid... it's in the same area as your most recent victims. A luxury condo in the Tallemaja building. On 23rd and Apple."

"Thanks Garcia... umm, think you can tell me what you did find on the tat-sketch?" Spencer prompted, curious.

Garcia didn't comment on his near slip of the tongue and said, "It's not much, but that sketch you showed me. It's connected to the name Blackrock, I looked up their website Reid... it was creepy. The whole thing was written in code, it will take me a little bit to break it. Does the name Blackrock ring a bell?"

Reid frowned, "... No, but thanks anyway Garcia."

"No problem Buttercup." She said cheerfully before hanging up. Reid walked back to Morgan, "We have an address. Should we head there now or...?"

Reid did not get to finish the rest of his sentence, a blood curdling scream ripped through the rainy air. Both agents put their hands on their guns and looked around, the screaming continued, coming from an alleyway just around the corner.

"Stay here!" Derek ordered the two men and took off around the corner, Reid at his heels. They looked into the mouth of the alleyway, Morgan drawing his gun and shouting, "FBI!"

While Reid shouted something completely different, "Rachel! Morgan put the gun down."

Sure enough, the gray eyed brown haired woman was standing at the back doorway of one of the apartment buildings. She was a little wet from the steadily growing rain fall, but she was staring at the two with wide eyes, "R-Reid?"

Spencer walked towards her, "What are you doing here? Why did you scream? What's going on?" The woman's voice appeared to have died however, because she just clapped a hand to her mouth and pointed at the pile of trash in the corner of the alley. Hidden from view of the alley entrance by a couple of garbage cans the body of a shirtless young man lay in the garbage. He had pale brown hair that was matted to his forehead by rain. Green eyes were clouded over with the film of death and stared sightlessly at the sky above him. There were words carved in his stomach as well, but the mutilation was on his chest as well. Angry red markings read: I am the Huldra, he is a FAILURE.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcome, along with constructive criticism. However, outright flames will be ignored! Next time: The team moves in to talk to "J" while Rachel is questioned by Emily and Garcia de-codes the Blackrock webpage. Expected publish date: 915**


	3. J

**Huldra**

**AN: Okay. Well everyone, thank you for reading this so far. Just one more chapter after this! Let's get started!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, these characters belong to CBS, and I am merely showing my appreciation for their stories.**

**Synopsis: A woman is killing male prostitutes in Portland, Oregon. The key to finding her is by finding the one man who survived an encounter with her, the mysterious "J".**

**Warnings: Swearing as well as graphic descriptions of sexuality and gore will be found in this story. There will also be slight OOC from the characters. You have been warned.**

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><p>It took seven minutes for Officers Stewart and Gray to arrive on the scene, along with a team of EMTs. Rachel was leaning against the wall of one of the buildings while a paramedic looked her over to signs of shock. Emily was talking to Stewart while Gray helped load the body into the ambulance. Morgan sighed heavily through his nose and looked at Reid, "What the hell is a Huldra?"<p>

"Well, technically it is a who. The Huldra is a figure in Scandinavian folklore. Mostly described as being indistinguishable from an ordinary woman in looks, except she's very beautiful. But, if a person were to look under her skirt, they'd see that her back was hollow and that she had a tail." Reid rattled off after pausing for a second to think.

"So our UnSub identifies with this... Huldra?" Derek said.

"Perhaps she thinks she is one." Said another voice. Both men turned to look at Rachel, who had stepped away from the paramedic who had been checking her over. "She chose to be in a place that, despite being a city still had large access to forests."

"Where Huldra's normally 'live'." Spencer nodded.

"There's also the fact that she kills men who have been unable to satisfy her. Legends say that the Huldra will lure young men into the woods and if they fail to satisfy her sexually she'll kill them." Rachel added, earning a slightly confused look from Morgan. Even Emily looked over from her conversation with Gray; Reid couldn't tell what was in her expression.

"And what if they do manage to satisfy her?" Morgan asked, but this time, Rachel didn't answer, it was Reid.

"They are rewarded... that might be why James was able to get a nice place to live... she rewarded him." Reid said, "We have to talk to J."

"Great, let's go now." Morgan said, heading to the car, motioning for the other two to follow him. He made it about halfway to the SUV when he realized that he was not being followed. Looking back he saw Reid walking over to the girl, Rachel.

Rachel waved the paramedic away as the woman tried, once again, to get her attention and force her to remain still for a medical exam, "I'm fine…" The sound of approaching footsteps made her turn to see Spencer walking towards her. He looked confused and… she couldn't name the other emotion there on his face.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" The doctor asked once he was standing beside her.

Rachel tipped her head, looking up at him, "Do you think I had something to do with this?"

"What?" Surprise colored his voice, "No… I just… it's really… weird to see you here."

"Considering the fact that we don't know each other that well, I don't see that I have to tell you everything about what I'm doing."

"No, but not saying anything about a cross-country trip is pretty strange… not to mention it's also the place that I'm currently on a case…"

"Are you worried that I'm stalking you doctor?" Rachel's eyes seemed to darken a little as she said this and the profiler realized that he had offended her.

"No, I didn't mean it like that it's just…"

"Reid!" Morgan called from beside the car.

The agent looked over at his friend, clearly torn with wanting to find out why Rachel was here and to go with Morgan.

"Go on Reid." Emily said, suddenly standing to the doctor's left, "I'll make sure your friend gets home safe. I'm heading back to the station with Gray anyways."

"I… okay." The young man nodded at the two women before walking off to join his fellow profiler.

Rachel looked at the woman who had taken Reid's place in front of her. She had dark brown hair that was cut to brush her shoulders and dark eyes. Overall, a serious air hung around her; she was in her element, working a case, doing her job. The younger woman waited until the SUV had driven away before speaking.

"You aren't taking me back to my hotel." It wasn't a question; it was a statement through and through.

"No," Agent Prentiss replied, "I need to take you back to the station with me. We need a witness statement."

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><p>J watched the black SUV pull up in front of his apartment complex, ever since he'd seen the news announcement about the FBI coming to Portland he'd been waiting for this. James had recognized the cars and the two figures climbing out of it from the reports of television. Sherriff Stewart was pulling out all the stops to end this. Yet, he wouldn't have dared to go to them on his own, but would have to wait for them to talk to him. However, he hadn't expected them to be able to find him so quickly. The young man looked out at the storm; they were dedicated, coming to him in this weather.<p>

Down in the lobby Morgan spoke quickly to the manager at the desk, who quickly snatched up a key and lead them upstairs. Apparently James was staying in one of the larger suits on the upper levels. The manager knocked on the door, "Mr. Barks? I have some people who would like to speak with you."

The agents expected no answer, or to open the door and find the young man scrambling to make a hasty get-away, or already gone. What they did not expect was to have him open the door with a smile on his face. James Barks was an attractive man, despite the fact that he wasn't the obvious eye-candy that Morgan was. He was built more along the lines of Spencer, though much more toned. His pale skin made the dark brown shade of his hair stand out and for a boy he had unusually long eyelashes. He was also wearing a bright red jacket that was open, showing a bare chest and black jeans. He was barefoot as well. J looked over at the manager, "Thank you Benjamin. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to my friends alone."

Benjamin didn't seem to be upset about being asked to leave in the slightest as he walked quickly down the hall and J stepped aside to allow them into his rooms. The suite was spacious with dark wooden floors and furniture that was all iron and silk cushions. J led them into the 'living room' of sorts which had a flat screen TV mounted on the wall with a fire place beneath it. There were several love seats, a Freudian couch and an arm chair, all crimson red in color. In between the chairs there was a table made of glass and iron, and along the far wall was a bookcase spanning the backside of the room.

"Pretty impressive digs you have here." Derek said, sitting down on one of the love seats. James took a seat in the arm chair and Reid simply stood to the side, there was something off about this man. He seemed… too calm… had he been waiting for them? If the prostitute could feel the young doctor watching him, he gave no sign, "Thank you Agent."

"Do you know why we are here?" Morgan asked. The other man nodded, "Because… of her."

Morgan leaned forward, so that he was resting his elbows on his knees, even Reid took a step forward, "What can you tell us about her James?"

* * *

><p>The doors to the small interview room opened and Rachel Lindell followed Emily Prentiss inside. "Please have a seat." Emily said, gesturing to the chair on the other side of the table. Rachel smirked as she sat down, "This really is just like all those cop shows on TV."<p>

"You seem to be feeling better." The profiler noted, taking in her calm demeanor and lightness to her voice, "Pretty impressive for discovering a dead body."

"I see them all the time." Rachel said, but backtracked noting the raised eyebrow adorning the face of the agent a crossed from her, "I work in a hospital. Death is something you… accept there."

"I see…" Prentiss said, "Well… let me start off with this. What were you doing when you discovered the body?"

"… Will you be telling this information to many people?"

"Why?"

"What I'm about to tell you is rather sensitive."

"I'll only tell people who absolutely need to know."

"I was helping my sister move. She just got a restraining order against this bastard who called himself her boyfriend. But, she kept seeing him around."

A moment of silence followed this statement. It caught Emily off-guard a little, but she could see no fault in the woman in front of her.

"Why not go to the police?"

Rachel nodded to the door leading to the offices, "Can't you see how wrapped up they are in this? I don't blame them but sometimes…" The young woman shook her head, she seemed genuinely tired discussing the subject, "It doesn't matter, I was going to come and get her anyway. She's moving in with me and I was carrying some trash out to the dumpster when I found the body."

"Can I call your sister to verify your whereabouts?" Emily asked, feeling a little guilty about having to bring up such a subject. But, she needed to verify the girl's story. Rachel gave her a phone number, and then stood up, "Is this all?"

"Not yet… how did you know what a Huldra was?" This time, it was Rachel's turn to raise an eyebrow, "I like Alexander Rybak."

"Who?"

"He's a singer… one of his songs talked about a Huldra and so I read up on it." She shrugged, seeming a little embarrassed, "So… yeah…"

"Okay. Well, just one more thing." Emily stood up this time, her expression had changed somewhat, this was more of an amused expression, "How do you know Reid?"

Rachel gave a light laugh, "We're just friends… don't worry Agent Prentiss, I won't steal him from you guys."

Emily nodded, "Well, sorry for the inconvenience Rachel. I hope everything goes smoothly with your sister."

"Thanks." She replied before stepping out into the office and stopping in her tracks.

"David?"

"Rachel?"

David Rossi was looking at Rachel with a slightly surprised expression. Emily followed the woman out of the interview room and looked between the two, "You know each other?"

"We met when I worked for the BAU before you…" Dave paused at this, seeming to catch himself about something, "You've gotten big."

"Haha thanks." Rachel rolled her eyes playfully, but she seemed a little tense, "I uhh… have to get going but… it was good to see you Dave err… Agent Rossi." She began walking towards the doors, "I'm glad your back. Call me, huh?"

"It was good to see you too kid." Rossi said, though a barely noticeable furrow had appeared on his brow, he waved her out the door before noticing Emily watching him, "What?"

"I'm just surprised that she knows you too."

"Me too…?"

"Yeah, she'd Reid's Rachel." Emily said, giving a light laugh as she looked at the retreating figure of the girl out the glass door "Isn't that funny?" Looking back she saw that Rossi had gone, "Dave?"

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><p>Meanwhile, back in J's apartment, the young man in question was leaning back in the armchair, perfectly at ease.<p>

"What do you want to know about her?"

"Anything and everything you know about her."

"It's not much." James said with a shrug.

"You must know something." Reid said, "People don't just pay for an apartment like this for a perfect stranger."

Another shrug, his nonchalant attitude was getting on Derek's nerves, "I gave her what she wanted and she rewarded me."

"And what about the people who can't give her what she wants?"

"She punishes them. But it's their own fault." Derek got to his feet, "Dammit kid, this is not a game. People are dying and your friends could be next!"

"What friends?" James looked up at Morgan but didn't move from his chair, "I don't have any friends out there."

"What about Rabbit?" Reid asked, earning a shocked look from the prostitute.

"Rabbit?"

"He wanted us to check up on you. He's the reason we found you, he's worried about you man." Spencer said, "He's worried something's happened to you, so… you do have a friend out there."

J sighed and sat up straight. He looked down at his hands, "I don't know much about her…"

"How did you two meet?"

"I was walking to my usual spot and she pulled up alongside me in a limo… she was so beautiful… her long golden hair, big blue eyes…"

The agents allowed a ten second reminisce before clearing their throats, "Anything else?"

"Only her first name Anya, but she makes me call her Huldra now… I have never seen where she lives. She comes to me and calls me to ask if there is anyone who I can give to her… I try to pick people who I think need the money the most but…"

"But instead they end up failing and dying." Morgan said, "And you just let them go to their deaths!"

"It's not like that!" The young man shouted, "I'm trying to give them a chance!" He looked up, "A chance to have all that I have. Look at this place…"

"We need to find her James. Or else, all she's going to do is kill more people. We have to stop her." Spencer said, "And you have to tell us how to get to her."

J lowered his head again, "I think I could get her to talk to you."

"How?"

"One of you has to pretend to… be like me… I can recommend you… and you guys can swoop in and arrest her when you meet her." James said, not looking up from his hands.

"Could you make the call for us now?"

"Okay…" A cell phone was pulled out and a number dialed.

Even though it wasn't on speaker they could hear a woman's voice on the other end of the phone, "Hey there J, baby…" She purred, "I've been thinking about you…"

"My lady…" J purred back, "I have someone I think you might like…"

"I grow tired of these offers J… will this one be really special?" A sigh came through over the other end.

"This one will be very special… I promise."

"Thank you my dove…" Came the purr, "I'll call again tomorrow night… tell your friend to come tomorrow and I'll pick him up." A click and J hung up his own phone, "You're in."

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! Please favorite, alert or write a review! Outright flames will be ignored. Next time, on the final chapter of Huldra: Reid poses as a prostitute, but something goes wrong and now he's trapped in the clutches of the Huldra. And what will Garcia find on the encrypted Blackrock website? Estimated publish date: 1010/11**


	4. Huldra

**Huldra**

**AN: Thank you so much to everyone who read this story, favortied it, alerted or gave a review. This is the final chapter of Huldra! I know that somethings might become very confusing, at least with the sub-plot of Blackrock, but I promise, in later installments of the Hand of Fate series EVERYTHING will be explained. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, these characters belong to CBS, and I am merely showing my appreciation for their stories.**

**Synopsis: A woman is killing male prostitutes in Portland, Oregon. The key to finding her is by finding the one man who survived an encounter with her, the mysterious "J".**

**Warnings: Swearing as well as graphic descriptions of sexuality and gore will be found in this story. There will also be slight OOC from the characters. You have been warned.**

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><p>"Are you sure about this?" Stewards asked, looking at the agents. They had come back from the conversation with J presenting an insane idea that one of them poses as a prostitute that J will recommend to Huldra. "We don't have much time. From the anger showed in her last kill she is devolving. Soon she'll get another victim and J already set it up." Hotchner said, looking over at the sheriff, "It is now or never."<p>

"Also, if Anna… Huldra… discovers that J lied to her, we might put him in danger as well." Reid added, looking at his boss.

"We should just bring the kid in and interrogate him until he tells us where she is."

"He doesn't know where she is. They only met on her terms." Prentiss clarified.

The police officer huffed, still incredibly uncomfortable with the situation, "Fine. But, which one of you is going to do it."

"Line up." JJ and Emily said, making the men on their team line up. They looked them over carefully. Derek was the one closeted to him, it took the girls a few minutes but they eventually said, "He's not her type."

Morgan frowned, clearly offended, "What do you mean I'm not her type?"

"Look at her victims." JJ said, gesturing to the pictures up on the wall, "You're too alpha for her. She wants someone submissive."

"Hotch is defiantly out then." Emily added, looking at her boss' stern expression.

"A little too grouchy." JJ added with a good natured smirk. Emily nodded.

"Dave can't really do submissive either." JJ said, earning a cocky smile from the older agent, "You think so? Give me the right woman and…"

"He's too old as well." Emily cut a crossed, wiping the smile off of his face. "No offense Rossi." She amended quickly, seeing the look on the face of her team member, "So that just leaves…"

"Reid."

The young doctor gaped, looking at the other members of his team, "Me?" His voice was a strangled squeak, his eyes were wide and it was completely obvious that he had not seen this coming, "Wh-but why?"

"Relax Pretty-boy." Morgan said, "We'll have you wired so we'll know right when to jump in for you."

"You fit the victim ology." Hotch said. "Younger, lighter in stature."

It took a few more bits in re-assurance but Spencer consented to being their bait for the evening. Exchanging glances of glee Emily and JJ helped their fellow profiler get 'dolled up' for his undercover operation. After half an hour in the bathrooms of the station Reid re-emerged followed closely by Emily and JJ. His dull-blond-chocolate colored hair had been changed to a brighter golden color and he'd swapped his sweater vest and slacks for a white under shirt, open button-down purple shirt and black jeans that were closely fitted. He was also wearing several leather bands on his right wrist. The doctor was pawing at his hair, "Did you have to change my hair color too?" He whined.

"It's not permanent." Emily chided, poking him in the ribs, "Don't be a baby. You look great."

They fitted Reid with a wire and put a small GPS device, disguised as a button, into the outer purple shirt he was wearing. "Just in case." Stewards said, looking a little grim.

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><p>Meanwhile, back in Quantico Garcia was still pouring over the encrypted site. This code seems to have been done by hand and it seemed to almost read like… like another language. Curious she ran a few samples through the data base and… the screen gave a positive beep a moment later. Garcia frowned as she clicked through a couple tabs; it was some files that the FBI had on hand. Why hadn't she found this before? The first tab was a picture of a few sentences written in the same code-language, though there was no translation. Only a little note attached to the picture and it was three words: Ghost language-Blackrock.<p>

Now thoroughly frustrated and confused the techno analyst began moving through the other files. Only, they were much less helpful. The first file she clicked on was a bunch of dates with little notes scrawled next to them in the Ghost language. But, she didn't get any farther than that, for in the next second her computer let out a warning blip and… the website vanished. "No!" Penelope yelled, typing furiously on her keyboard in a vain attempt to find any trace of the Blackrock page. …Nothing. The remaining files didn't add any clarification for they were labeled as access denied. There wasn't even a pass-code for her to attempt to break. She just couldn't get in… something was wrong here…

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><p>In the station David Rossi's cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, his brows furrowed, glancing at his team he said, "Excuse me." And stepped off to an empty interview room at the back. Flipping open the mobile device he lifted it to his ear, "Yes?"<p>

"Your tech-girl was looking for us."

"No one authorized it…" Dave said, becoming defensive, "We still know the agreement."

"Someone told her something. Get her to stop poking around; we're having enough trouble as it is."

"I'd be much more inclined to help if you would at least give me some answers."

"You know I can't do that."

"Then you know there isn't much I can do." Silence. Then, "Do something. We'll be reading everyone in soon. Once things are set up on our end. Agent Lindell has been keeping an eye on the new contact we're looking at."

"Reid." Rossi sighed, "You can't do that to the kid."

"He has potential… and it's not really your decision."

"You're not really letting it be his."

"All in good time Agent Rossi… We'll be in touch." Click. The older profiler still wore a look of extreme concentration when he walked out of the interview room back to the main room of the station where an officer was fitting Reid with a listening device. He'd hoped that the team was too distracted while he quickly worked a natural expression onto his face, but a quick glance at Hotch's expression told him that he hadn't been fast enough to escape the notice of his supervisor. The Italian sighed inwardly; this was going to get really messy…

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><p>The sun was setting and it was time for Reid to head to the meeting point to join J and Huldra.<p>

His team had dropped him off a block down from J's apartment building. They'd decided on giving him a fake name for the night: Steven. Since, it began with the same letter as his first name it should be easier for him to remember to respond to. Reid had been about to enter the apartment when a voice called to him, "Steven!"

Turning, he could see a long slender arm waving out of the window of a limo. The arm was thin, feminine and clad in a soft lilac sleeve. It must be Huldra. Reid turned away from the apartment and walked towards the limo, "Hello…" he said quietly, unable to shake all nerves. A soft giggle was his only response.

"You are cute…" Came the voice and a woman leaned forward, into the evening light. Just like the first time she had met J she was wearing a scarf over her head, only this time the scarf was gray, shading her face.

"Please get in." Huldra said in a honey coated voice. J hadn't mentioned anything about them meeting in the limo, but the doctor didn't question it. He opened the door and slid inside, only to nearly slide out again as he saw that it was just him and the woman alone in the car. But, he didn't get the chance as the car pulled away from the curb and began moving down the street.

Reid gulped, "Where is J?"

"Aww…" The woman pouted, "I understand you're nervous… but don't worry." She reached up and pulled the scarf off of her head, letting loose a tumble of golden curls and unveiling bright blue eyes. Her lips pulled into an attractive smile as she slid off of her seat, to move closer to him until she was practically straddling his lap.

"I have a feeling about you…" She purred, tracing his lips with a purple painted fingernail, "J told me… so many things…"

"O-oh…" Was all he could manage, his heart was pounding out of nerves. Nerves from the situation and from having a woman in his lap. Vaguely, he heard the car begin to drive faster and he shifted to look out the window, but found his face cupped by a pair of hands. Huldra was gazing at him intently, "Do you know… what they call me?"

Her breath smelt like sugar with just a hint of alcohol. It brushed over his face in a soft caress as she ran her fingers up through his hair. They had just taken a wrong turn, Spencer noticed in his mind, if they were heading to the hotel J had picked out for them, they would have had to have taken a left… instead they took a right…

"Do you know…?" She questioned again, keeping her eyes locked upon his.

"Huldra." Reid said, without hesitating. Normally, he would have played dumb, but something told him that he wanted him to name her. To say it. Another sultry smile split her lips, "Yes…"

Spencer turned his head; the car was slowing only… they were no longer in the city… but along the edge of the woods. "Where are we?"

Huldra leaned away from him, but was still in his lap. She too looked out the window, but her expression wasn't one of confusion, but almost smugness, "Couldn't you calculate where we are in your head Spencer?"

The profiler's heart seemed to fail, "Excuse me?"

A sigh and Huldra threw back her head with an overly dramatic eye roll, "Oh my dear…" Suddenly, her body whipped forward and she pinned him to the seat, finger nails digging painfully into his upper arms, her face pressed against his cheek, lips at his ear. Reid struggled but found himself successfully restrained, even though she was small, she was all muscle.

"Don't play dumb with me." The woman's voice still held the purr, but there was an edge of anger to it, "You are Dr. Spencer Reid… one of the FBI investigating me… J told me everything…"

"J told me… so many things…" So she had known all along.

"You understand… since you know who I am… I can't just let you go walking around… and it's best if you can't scream any information for your team to hear…" She tore at his clothes and ripped off the wire. With a crunch she broke the little instrument under foot while the door to the limo was opened. Hands grabbed Reid and dragged him from the car, together, the stone-faced driver and Huldra half-carried him into the forest. The profiler was dropped on the ground and he scrambled to get away but a click made him freeze. Huldra was holding a gun.

"I was thinking of just shooting you and leaving but..." BAM! The gun went off and the body of the driver fell to the forest floor, "I don't really wanna have him see our fun huh?"

Keeping the gun on him Huldra walked closer, "Take off your clothes."

Reid hesitated; she was spiraling out of control quickly. And... He was facing the possibility of getting raped and killed, "Look, Anna... I know that you don't want to do this."

"You don't know what I want." She laughed, seeming unfazed at the fact that he used her real name, "Now hurry up!"

Reid let the over shirt slide off of his shoulders to the ground, "You were hurt long ago... weren't you? Someone made you very happy and then they left you." She twitched, but held the gun firm, but at least he was getting somewhere, "You're just looking for that feeling of love and pleasure again... that's why... when the other men fail you, you kill them."

"Shut up!" Anna hissed and the gun went off. Reid cried out as he felt the bullet go through his arm. He hissed in pain, not daring to look at the bright red liquid pouring down his forearm, dribbling off his finger tips to soak into the thirsty earth below.

"Don't be a baby." Anna said, scorn in her voice as she walked up close to Reid again, "If I have to ask you to take your clothes off again I'll shoot you somewhere much more painful." The gun was pressed against his knee and Reid felt himself stiffen involuntarily. Huldra's bright blue eyes were locked with his own and he could _see_ the insanity within them.

"I... can't. You just shot me in the arm. I can't take my shirt off." He panted, trying to deter her and praying that his team had been able to track the GPS device that had been in the button of his purple shirt. The woman in front of him clicked her tongue and shoved him back against a tree, "Well it doesn't really matter." Keeping the gun pressed to his knee she fumbled with the zipper of his jeans and managed to shove them along with his underwear halfway down his thighs. Next she began to hike up her own skirt and Reid grabbed her shoulders, in a moment of desperation not really caring if he was shot in the leg or not. He just wanted her off of him. But, he didn't need to do anything. A shot went off and Anna's body dropped away from him.

The gun fell from her limp hand as she lay in the dirt, unseeing eyes staring at nothing, blood pooling from the wound in her head.

"Reid!" The rest of the BAU reached their youngest member as he was hastily buttoning his jeans. Emily put an arm around his shoulders, taking in his trembling form and wide eyes and... "He's been shot!" She cried out, waving medics over while Morgan checked for a pulse in Anna's neck.

"She's gone." He said, then paused and looked down at her again, "Hey guys..."

The agents looked down as Morgan gently rolled over the body of the woman formally known as Huldra. The lilac shirt she had been wearing had an open back, and when she'd fallen onto her side, part of it had been revealed. Where once unmarred flesh had been was a mess of scar tissue. It looked as though the entire layer of skin had been ripped away from her in ragged pieces. Reid felt his stomach churn, realizing what she looked like... a real Huldra, with a hollow back...

* * *

><p>Garcia looked up to see Rossi entering her office. She jumped out of her chair, letting her nervous energy show, "How is Reid? I heard about the case. Is he all right? Is his arm okay? Is he..." She fell silent when Rossi held up a hand.<p>

"Reid is fine. He's expected to make a full recovery, but they're making him take a few weeks off for physical therapy and a psych evaluation... but that's not why I'm here."

The bright hair colored woman frowned, "Then...why are you here?"

"I need you to stop looking into Blackrock." Dave said, tucking his hands into his pockets and fixing his co-worker with a stern gaze, "I can't explain why." He continued when Penelope opened her mouth to question, "I promise, I will try to explain everything when I am able but for now... drop it... Just drop it please."

Garcia let out a breath and sat down in her chair, "... I'll drop it Rossi..."

The older agent seemed relieved, "Thank you..."

* * *

><p>Reid walked into Abby's his arm in a sling but a relatively pleased smile on his face. He'd just passed his psych evaluation and his arm was expected to be fully functional again within another three weeks. But, upon scanning the coffee shop his smile slipped into a light frown. Rachel was not at their usual table by the window, nor was she in line. When Spencer reached the barista he asked, "Have you seen Rachel?"<p>

"..." Lisa didn't say anything, but instead reached beneath the counter and pulled out a little envelope, "She came in at closing last night and asked me to give this to you." Looking uncomfortable she asked, "Usual?"

There was a strange feeling in Reid's stomach but he took the coffee anyway and went to sit at the table he'd grown so accustomed to sharing with Lindell. Had his behavior in Portland scared her off? True, he probably should have called her before now, but everything had been swept away from him in the past week with his surgery, psychological evaluation and therapy. But, on the other hand, she hadn't come to see him in the hospital... The feeling in his stomach intensified when he opened the envelope and pulled out a little card bearing two words: I'm sorry.

He flipped over the card and was surprised to see an address written on the back. Spencer was so intent at looking at the card he didn't feel the envelope slide out of his fingers until he heard a clink as it hit the table. Reid opened the envelope fuller and pulled out a key with another note attached to it: I hope this helps.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading this story! So, I have some acknowledgements: to my reviewers: What You See in the Shadows, Nympadora-CullenBAU, and SilverandInk thank you! To the people who favorite this story: Fortuona and foxykitsuneyouko thank you! And to all of you who alerted this story (I can't list all of you, I apologize) thank you so much!<strong>

**Please look for the next installment in the Hand of Fate series: Masquerade coming later this month and look for the next chapter fic: One of Them coming around Thanksgiving!**


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